Summer Breezes and Charity Balls
by paquerettes
Summary: A summer vacation, a charity ball, a midnight promise, a house elf alchemist, a fake girlfriend. A ice cream cone, a flying carpet, a gaggle of over-excited cousins.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello all! This is the completed first chapter of what I intend to be a full blown fanfic, so stay tuned. I would immensely appreciate any reviews and comments. Thanks!**

-'-,

So here I was at Malfoy Manor. The place where my mother was tortured, my father and my uncle were held in a dungeon and a former hideout for the followers of a certain Dark Lord. Incidentally, it is also the humble abode of my long time best friend, Scorpius Malfoy. Funny how things like this happen.

The glaring sun slowly descended down, partially obscured by the massive flat roof of the mansion. I dragged my trunk toward the gate. In place of a padlock, the gate's center had a forboding looking eye that looked surprisingly like Scorpius'. Perhaps his father had spooned it clean out for having a half-blood friend over for the summer. That would be tragic, as I had went through quite a lot of paperwork and black coffee to set up a Portkey from my house to a field near his. I stepped closer to the eye and jabbed it with my wand. Whatever it was, it looked quite reproachfully at me and watered slightly after I removed my wand. Sighing, I removed a folded piece of parchment from my back pocket. My jeans felt slightly sticky, and I was suddenly aware I was sweating. Graceful, I noted, and swerved as I drove my attention back on track. I scanned the words quickly.

_Rose,_

_Hello. I hope you're doing well. I'm glad to know that you've talked with your mother about a possible Portkey. Of course, it will have to be away from anywhere a muggle could see you and call their pumice? No. It was something like "police"? Porridge? I don't know. I can never get those words right. _

_Anyways, you have my address. Have fun with the Ministry people explaining why you need a Portkey._

_Politely and cordially your friend, _

_Scorpius Malfoy_

NEVER. Not once! Not even a single time did Scorpius mention how to get past his godforsaken eye! I was caramelizing quite nicely from both anger and the intense heat when I saw a door open and close beyond the hedges inside the gate.

"Hello?" I called out. "This is Rose. Rose Weasley? I'm here to see Scorpius Malfoy."

The figure approached quickly and I peered into the sunlight to see who was coming. After a few seconds, the dour face of Draco Malfoy, Scorpius' father came into view. My blood-pressure shot up some 20 points.

My parents weren't really friends with Mr. Malfoy when they were in school. In fact, I believe my mother punched him once.

This may be along few weeks, I'm afraid.

-'-,

"Wait here, I'll call Scorpius," Mr. Malfoy said, looking emotionless. He turned his back swiftly and I was left to stare at his retreating, almost bald head.

Honestly, he could at least pretend that he was fine with me staying! I was going to help his son plan one of the biggest magical events of the year, the Daily Prophet's Prestige Ball! The Prophet Ball is a large gathering of everyone who is anyone in the wizarding world. The Daily Prophet holds it biannually, so it isn't something that happens every year. No, no! It happens every two. So every two years, powerful wizarding families gather and ballroom dance their asses of and cram their faces with pumpkin infused lobster patties and champagne. The Prophet chooses a family, a rich one with a mansion to spare, to hold the Ball. This year, the Malfoys got the "highest and most greatest honor". Scorpius' parents are always awfully busy, and they told him to invite a friend to him plan the Ball. And lo and behold, here I was, a week after they were chosen, watching my closest friend approach me.

Scorpius smiled as he saw me.

"Hi Rose. Did my father behave?" he asked wryly.

"He was fine," I began, picking up my trunk. "I'm just glad that you still have two eyes."

I laughed at my own joke as Scorpius fiddled around with something behind the gate.

"What? Why?" he looked at me, confused. The eye began to budge, twisting back and forth.

"Er. Nothing." I said weakly, glancing at the blue eye rolling out of its hole and sliding towards the ground.

Why couldn't they just get a lock?

Scorpius creaked open the gate and gestured for me to follow him.

"Shall we?" he said grandly.

"Oh, save it for the Ball," I mumbled contemptuously, half to myself, half hoping he would hear.

I dragged my heavy trunk on the paved path leading to the front door. I tried to signal to Scorpius to help me carry it, making a bit more grunts and panting than I normally would. He didn't notice, and continued to stride confidently towards the door with his hands folded behind his back. Gallant, I noted scathingly. Sometimes, I couldn't stand him and his conceited ways. He and my cousin, Albus, were the closest of friends, but I couldn't think of two people more different from each other than them. Except for maybe me and Molly, my other cousin (she's just so quiet and fragile).

As I laboured under the sun, I began to notice my surroundings. The hedges around the Manor were arranged in a labyrinth-like manner.

"Very practical," I remarked, nodding towards the bushes.

As a Weasley, I was used to having nothing more than what was necessary. Seeing such extravagance almost made me laugh.

"My grandfather used to keep albino peacocks in there." Scorpius gestured towards the shrubbery, smiling. "We didn't replace them after they died, of eating poisonous mushrooms, my dad says, but I swear it was my mother who did them in."

An image of prim, proper, Asteria Malfoy strangling a white peacock suddenly came to mind. I chuckled slightly. Well, actually, it was more of a snort/guffawing/retching sound, but that's one of the setback of being slightly socially inept.

-'-,


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Haven't been posting lately have I? Well, hope you enjoy regardless. More chapters will be posted. Review please!**

After unpacking my heavy trunk, I joined the Malfoys for an evening meal. Sitting down on one end of the grand mahogany table, I instantly felt substantially out of place. A couple of roasted quails were set out and there were some ten large bowls of tropical fruit scattered across. I felt a bit nauseated by the sheer extravagance. I nibbled at a papaya rind and settled for some bread and cheese that was also laid out very conveniently in front of me.

Scorpius' father was the first to speak.

"I had our house elf make that bread and buy that cheese especially for your arrival. I thought it would have suited your tastes," he said amicably enough, though I could detect something else in his tone.

Frankly, I wasn't sure if I was to be offended or pleased.

"Scorpius tells me you're…er…what's that word again, dear? Vegan?" Asteria added in, cutting her quail up daintily. "What is that like?"

"Well, vegetarian actually…I…eat cheese and eggs. No meat except for fish on special occasions," I corrected her, rather lamely. "And, I suppose its fine."

Mrs. Malfoy nodded, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Ah. That's quite interesting," she smiled at me, and then returned her attention to her food.

A pregnant silence ensued, as everyone munched thoughtfully at their food. Mr. Malfoy cut in.

"I hear you are beating Scorpius in every test."

It was Scorpius' turn to splutter now. I smiled to myself as his cheeks turned a delicate pink and his fair eyebrows scrunched inward.

"No! She isn't! I was in the hospital wing for that one week, and Binns hates me, I know it! And…" he trailed off as he started to run out of excuses.

Asteria eyed her son disapprovingly. "Do quiet down, Scorpius. We have a guest present. I do hope you don't behave this way at school."

I smiled to myself again. Actually, dear Scorpius was known to be quite wild at school. Once, he actually charmed a chicken wing to fly very smoothly. It was all in good fun until the wing straight into Professor Longbottom's—

My thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Malfoy spoke up.

"True. We would not want to make her uncomfortable."

Scorpius turned to me, trying to look into my eyes. "You're not uncomfortable are you, Rose?"

I buried my face into brie smothered on bread, trying desperately to avoid his grey-blue gaze. His eyes always made me a bit scrambled in the mind

Merlin, they were still staring at me.

"Hm, what? I wasn't quite listening, sorry." I said as I reemerged, trying to sound convincing at least.

All three Malfoys looked at me unhappily.

"Oh nothing, dear," Asteria said lightly and dearly, sounding out every syllable as if I were mentally deficient. I flushed a glorious vermillion and stared straight into the china plate before me (I might add that it must have cost a fortune because the flowers along the rim were swaying gently as if in a light summer breeze).

This was going to be a long summer.

-'-,

After dinner everyone went their separate ways. Mr. Malfoy left the Manor on some important Ministry call. Asteria Malfoy retired to her room discreetly. This left Scorpius and I sitting drowsily in the parlour. The Malfoy house elf, Tinny, had just brought us some type of hot cocoa, but it was more sedative than chocolate. Trying to fill the heavy silence, I sat up a bit and managed to slur out: "Whuuu…uh. Did chu get onnnn the owals?"

Scorpius looked up at me as he slumped over a bench.

"Ovals?" he asked quizzically.

Apparently, he was less affected by this devil potion of a drink that tasted vaguely of chocolate.

"Narr. OWLS," I said, and this time he seemed to understand.

"Oh! All Outstandings except for a Meets Expectations in Astronomy," he said rather smugly (or maybe he was just intoxicated). He seemed so happy that I didn't mention I had gotten all Outstandings except for an Exceeds Expectations in Arithmancy, but I was a bit subdued. I was able to manage a congratulatory grunt that I hoped he would understand, but he went on.

"Me and my girlfriend went to Florean Fortescue's to celebrate," he told me pompously.

The mention of a girlfriend shot my blood pressure up drastically and I didn't feel so drowsy anymore.

"GURRFRAND? HUH?" I said, a bit too enthusiastically.

He smiled, and I felt the urge to curse him.

"Oh yeah. Forgot to mention her to you," he continued. "We met a month ago in the Ministry summer program we were at. We've been going strong ever since," he declared as if this was some sort of achievement. Merlin, who even says "going strong"?

"What's her name?"

"Sabine Blancher. She moved from Luxembourg with her family to here just a few months ago. Here's a picture," Scorpius said and took one out of his back pocket.

So apparently, Sabine was a friggin' model. She had a round, pleasant face with dark brown eyes and wavy, honey-coloured hair. She looked rather tall, though I couldn't tell because she was standing in a field of quaint little dandelions. She was holding a sleek racing broom and wearing really fab suede booties, both of which I could probably never afford. I had the extreme urge to sog up her face with my cat, Galileo's, acid piss (sadly, Galileo was not allowed to come due to his explosive urine complications). My thoughts were interrupted quite rudely as Scorpius began to blather again.

"She's going to Hogwarts next term. Her parents arranged with McGonagall to get her Sorted. She's going to be a 6th year Ravenclaw just like you next term."

I must have looked rather miffed or sickened because the next thing I was conscious of was that Tinny and Scorpius were lifting me upstairs to my room. They laid me down on the bed and Tinny left, muttering something about a potion that needed stirring. So I was alone with Scorpius. He ruffled my red bird's nest's excuse of hair and placed a blanket over me, which I curled into, loving the warmth.

"Sleep tight, Rosie," he chuckled and turned the lights off.

After a few seconds, Tinny's cocoa took over and the tendrils of dreamless sleep curled around me.

**A/N: Remember to review!**


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